ᐅ Which types of flooring are recommended for single-family homes? What does the building expert community suggest?
Created on: 14 Sep 2020 07:43
E
exto1791
Hello everyone,
We are slowly starting to consider the flooring for our planned single-family house and are still completely undecided.
We have an open-plan living-dining area with a kitchen. We believe that a seamless floor transition looks nicer than separating the kitchen from the living/dining area. For this reason, we want to have a uniform floor covering throughout.
Now the question: vinyl or tiles? We have already read about the pros and cons, but maybe we can get some first-hand tips or tricks here that might put some of the disadvantages into a more positive perspective?
1. Question: Is vinyl really safe to use in the kitchen? Is vinyl fully waterproof? How does vinyl flooring react if, for example, a knife slips from my hand and falls on the floor? Will I get immediate dents or marks? Are there vinyl floors that are significantly more resistant?
2. Question: How does vinyl respond to sunlight? Since we will have several large glass fronts in our living-dining area, vinyl "technically" seems to be excluded... Does vinyl actually deform? Is it true that vinyl, like parquet, fades significantly in sunlight?
3. Question: Is vinyl really only suitable for 10-20 years? What happens afterward? Do I have to replace the vinyl, or can it be refurbished or maintained?
--> We are considering tiling the entire area because then we would be "done," have a robust floor that works perfectly with underfloor heating, is simple, and very resistant to sun/fading/stains/impacts. We think generally that you can’t go wrong with tiles.
However, I see the problem that the tiles will likely stay in place for a lifetime, and I may not want or be able to replace them later due to the high effort involved. Also, any chip or damage to a tile will be visible for life since I can’t quickly repair it (true, vinyl also can’t be easily repaired, but I could replace the floor after 15-20 years). Another downside is cost. Tiles are generally more expensive, and I wouldn’t be able to install them myself (I don’t feel confident with tiles but feel okay with vinyl), so we are wondering what is best for us.
What flooring have you installed in your living/dining areas? What good or bad experiences have you had?
Now about the upper rooms:
1 bedroom and 2 kids’ rooms: vinyl/parquet/cork/laminate?
We are familiar with the pros and cons here as well. Parquet is "technically" out of the question because it is very expensive (is there good parquet for around 30€ (about $33)?). Opinions on vinyl are divided... We also have clear concerns (especially in the kids’ rooms) regarding plastic flooring... Are they really completely safe and non-toxic nowadays? If I pay attention to this, can I safely choose vinyl for the kids’ rooms? The kids’ rooms should be "good and affordable" above all. Cork might be an option? Laminate is somehow excluded because it is very noisy and offers no advantages over cork or vinyl.
Is parquet sensible for the bedroom? Here there is no fading, parquet is durable, and sunlight is limited. Very durable and might make the bedroom more visually appealing. What do you think?
We are open to any suggestions.
Where did you buy your flooring? From a hardware store? A specialist dealer? Are there recommendations, including manufacturers or models?
We are slowly starting to consider the flooring for our planned single-family house and are still completely undecided.
We have an open-plan living-dining area with a kitchen. We believe that a seamless floor transition looks nicer than separating the kitchen from the living/dining area. For this reason, we want to have a uniform floor covering throughout.
Now the question: vinyl or tiles? We have already read about the pros and cons, but maybe we can get some first-hand tips or tricks here that might put some of the disadvantages into a more positive perspective?
1. Question: Is vinyl really safe to use in the kitchen? Is vinyl fully waterproof? How does vinyl flooring react if, for example, a knife slips from my hand and falls on the floor? Will I get immediate dents or marks? Are there vinyl floors that are significantly more resistant?
2. Question: How does vinyl respond to sunlight? Since we will have several large glass fronts in our living-dining area, vinyl "technically" seems to be excluded... Does vinyl actually deform? Is it true that vinyl, like parquet, fades significantly in sunlight?
3. Question: Is vinyl really only suitable for 10-20 years? What happens afterward? Do I have to replace the vinyl, or can it be refurbished or maintained?
--> We are considering tiling the entire area because then we would be "done," have a robust floor that works perfectly with underfloor heating, is simple, and very resistant to sun/fading/stains/impacts. We think generally that you can’t go wrong with tiles.
However, I see the problem that the tiles will likely stay in place for a lifetime, and I may not want or be able to replace them later due to the high effort involved. Also, any chip or damage to a tile will be visible for life since I can’t quickly repair it (true, vinyl also can’t be easily repaired, but I could replace the floor after 15-20 years). Another downside is cost. Tiles are generally more expensive, and I wouldn’t be able to install them myself (I don’t feel confident with tiles but feel okay with vinyl), so we are wondering what is best for us.
What flooring have you installed in your living/dining areas? What good or bad experiences have you had?
Now about the upper rooms:
1 bedroom and 2 kids’ rooms: vinyl/parquet/cork/laminate?
We are familiar with the pros and cons here as well. Parquet is "technically" out of the question because it is very expensive (is there good parquet for around 30€ (about $33)?). Opinions on vinyl are divided... We also have clear concerns (especially in the kids’ rooms) regarding plastic flooring... Are they really completely safe and non-toxic nowadays? If I pay attention to this, can I safely choose vinyl for the kids’ rooms? The kids’ rooms should be "good and affordable" above all. Cork might be an option? Laminate is somehow excluded because it is very noisy and offers no advantages over cork or vinyl.
Is parquet sensible for the bedroom? Here there is no fading, parquet is durable, and sunlight is limited. Very durable and might make the bedroom more visually appealing. What do you think?
We are open to any suggestions.
Where did you buy your flooring? From a hardware store? A specialist dealer? Are there recommendations, including manufacturers or models?
sub-xero schrieb:
I've read a lot (but not everything) and I've been wondering:
Vinyl: plastic, controversial, not everyone likes it, prone to wear.
Parquet: natural, beautiful, requires maintenance, sensitive to water.
Tiles: durable, comfortable with underfloor heating, but the look feels "cold."
Have you ever considered wood-look tiles? For me, tiles combined with underfloor heating are the most durable and practical choice. I personally like classic tile designs mostly in bathrooms. However, there are really great wood-look tiles that even have the texture of wood. This combines the advantages of parquet (warm appearance) with those of tiles (durability). The price is also no higher than good parquet.
Another advantage is that you can install the same material throughout all rooms (bathroom, living room, kitchen, hallway) without changes in materials, meaning no steps or transitions.
What do you think? We will also have wood-look tiles installed throughout the entire open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area. For us, this is by far the best choice, for exactly the reasons you mentioned.
S
Sparfuchs7719 Apr 2021 07:57exto1791 schrieb:
We are also going to have the entire living-dining-kitchen area tiled with wood-look tiles. For us, this is by far the best choice for exactly the reasons you mentioned.We did the same. Hallway, living area, and kitchen. Alternating 20x180cm (8x71 inches) and 30x180cm (12x71 inches) tiles.
Sparfuchs_:p schrieb:
We did the same. Hallway, living area, and kitchen. Alternating 20x180 and 30x180.We will have 120x30cm (48x12 inches) tiles installed. I’ve really fallen in love with wood-look tiles 🙂
Edit: Of course, everything has its pros and cons. With kids, definitely not ideal in terms of warmth and playing on the floor, that’s true. However, they are also durable (especially because of the kids 😀) and visually very appealing. But you can always use play rugs or similar for that.
I also grew up with tiles and don’t see any lasting damage so far (at least I think so 😀)
M
Myrna_Loy19 Apr 2021 09:27Tiles are bad for acoustics. I would never install them in large rooms with multiple functions. Even less so when there are large window areas involved.
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Tiles are bad for acoustics. I would never use them in large rooms with multiple functions. Even less so if there are large window areas as well. Maybe for your 5.1 HiFi system with a subwoofer costing $2,000 😀
It’s still a living/dining room, not a music room 😀
M
Myrna_Loy19 Apr 2021 09:37No, this also applies to normal conversations when someone is working in the kitchen or a larger group is sitting around the dining table. The sound bounces off all the hard surfaces like ping-pong balls. If I’m planning an open-plan living area, I should try to better control the higher noise levels that occur. When my child is playing wildly at my in-laws’ or rummaging through the Lego boxes, our ears really start ringing after a short time. And everyone automatically speaks louder.
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